مَا لِي وَلِلدَّارِ مِنْ لَيْلَى أُحَيِّيهَا

مَا لِي وَلِلدَّارِ مِنْ لَيْلَى أُحَيِّيهَا

وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ غَوَانِيهَا مَغَانِيهَا

وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ غَوَانِيهَا مَغَانِيهَا

What have I to do with Layla’s abode, that I should salute it,

What have I to do with Layla's dwelling, that I should greet it,

when its dwellings stand deserted by their beauties?

When its haunts stand empty of their lovely women?

دَعِ الدِّيَارَ لِقَوْمٍ يَكْلَفُونَ بِهَا

دَعِ الدِّيَارَ لِقَوْمٍ يَكْلَفُونَ بِهَا

وَاعْكُفْ عَلَى حَانَةٍ كَالْبَدْرِ سَاقِيهَا

وَاعْكُفْ عَلَى حَانَةٍ كَالْبَدْرِ سَاقِيهَا

Leave ruined abodes to those who are enamored of them,

Leave the dwellings to people enamored of them,

and devote yourself to a tavern whose cupbearer is like the full moon.

And devote yourself to a tavern whose cupbearer is like the full moon.

كَمْ بَيْنَ دَاثِرَةٍ أَقْوَتْ مَعَالِمُهَا

كَمْ بَيْنَ دَاثِرَةٍ أَقْوَتْ مَعَالِمُهَا

وَبَيْنَ عَامِرَةٍ تَزْهُو بِمَنْ فِيهَا

وَبَيْنَ عَامِرَةٍ تَزْهُو بِمَنْ فِيهَا

What a gulf there is between a ruin whose landmarks lie desolate

How vast the gulf between a ruin whose landmarks lie deserted

and a flourishing place that glories in those within it!

And a flourishing place that glories in those within it!

هَيْهَاتَ مَا الدَّارُ تُشْجِينِي بِسَاحَتِهَا

هَيْهَاتَ مَا الدَّارُ تُشْجِينِي بِسَاحَتِهَا

وَإِنَّمَا الدَّارُ تُشْجِينِي بِأَهْلِيهَا

وَإِنَّمَا الدَّارُ تُشْجِينِي بِأَهْلِيهَا

Never! The house does not grieve me through its empty courtyard;

Far from it! A dwelling does not sadden me for its courtyard;

a house grieves me only through the people who once dwelt there.

A dwelling saddens me only for its people.

فَخَلِّ هَذَا وَخُذْ فِي وَصْفِ غَانِيَةٍ

فَخَلِّ هَذَا وَخُذْ فِي وَصْفِ غَانِيَةٍ

سَرَتْ بِحُلْوَانَ فِي قَلْبِي سَوَارِيهَا

سَرَتْ بِحُلْوَانَ فِي قَلْبِي سَوَارِيهَا

So leave that theme, and turn to describing a beauty

So leave this aside, and begin describing a beautiful woman,

whose nightly visitations stole through my heart at Hulwan—

Whose nightly visitations stole into my heart at Hulwan.

رَيَّانَةُ الْقَدِّ لَوْ أَنَّ الضَّجِيعَ لَهَا

رَيَّانَةُ الْقَدِّ لَوْ أَنَّ الضَّجِيعَ لَهَا

خَافَ الْعُيُونَ عَلَيْهَا كَادَ يَطْوِيهَا

خَافَ الْعُيُونَ عَلَيْهَا كَادَ يَطْوِيهَا

lush and supple of figure: had the one who shared her bed

Lush of figure—if her bedfellow

feared prying eyes for her, he would almost have folded her away.

Feared prying eyes for her, he could almost fold her up.

فِي نَشْوَةِ الْخَمْرِ سِرٌّ مِنْ مَرَاشِفِهَا

فِي نَشْوَةِ الْخَمْرِ سِرٌّ مِنْ مَرَاشِفِهَا

وَفِي الأَرَاكَةِ شَكْلٌ مِنْ تَهَادِيهَا

وَفِي الأَرَاكَةِ شَكْلٌ مِنْ تَهَادِيهَا

The rapture of wine holds a secret drawn from her lips,

In wine's intoxication lies a secret from her lips,

and the arak tree bears a likeness to her graceful swaying.

And in the arak tree, a likeness of her swaying gait.

يَا لَيْلَةً بِتُّ أُسْقَى مِنْ بَنَانَتِهَا

يَا لَيْلَةً بِتُّ أُسْقَى مِنْ بَنَانَتِهَا

وَمِنْ لَوَاحِظِهَا خَمْراً وَمِنْ فِيهَا

وَمِنْ لَوَاحِظِهَا خَمْراً وَمِنْ فِيهَا

O what a night, when I lay drinking from her fingertips,

O night I spent being given drink from her fingertip,

from her glances wine, and from her mouth!

And wine from her glances, and from her mouth!

أَحْيَيْتُهَا وَأَمَتُّ النَّوْمَ مُعْتَصِماً

أَحْيَيْتُهَا وَأَمَتُّ النَّوْمَ مُعْتَصِماً

بِلَذَّةٍ لا يَكَادُ الدَّهْرُ يُنْسِيهَا

بِلَذَّةٍ لا يَكَادُ الدَّهْرُ يُنْسِيهَا

I kept that night alive and put sleep to death, holding fast

I kept it alive and put sleep to death, holding fast

to a delight that time itself can scarcely make one forget—

To a delight that time can scarcely make me forget.

حَتَّى إِذَا رَفَّ خَيْطُ الْفَجْرِ وَابْتَدَرَتْ

حَتَّى إِذَا رَفَّ خَيْطُ الْفَجْرِ وَابْتَدَرَتْ

حَمَائِمُ الأَيْكِ تَشْدُو فِي أَغَانِيهَا

حَمَائِمُ الأَيْكِ تَشْدُو فِي أَغَانِيهَا

until, when the thread of dawn began to flutter, and the doves

Until, when the thread of dawn shimmered and there hastened

of the grove hastened to pour out their songs,

The doves of the grove to warble their songs,

قَامَتْ تَمَايَلُ سَكْرَى فِي مَآزِرِهَا

قَامَتْ تَمَايَلُ سَكْرَى فِي مَآزِرِهَا

وَالرَّوْعُ يَبْعَثُهَا طَوْرَاً وَيَثْنِيهَا

وَالرَّوْعُ يَبْعَثُهَا طَوْرَاً وَيَثْنِيهَا

she rose, swaying drunkenly within her wraps,

She rose, drunkenly swaying in her wraps,

while fright now drove her onward, now turned her back.

And fear now urged her onward, now held her back.

تَخْشَى الضِّيَاءَ وَفِي أَزْرَارِهَا قَمَرٌ

تَخْشَى الضِّيَاءَ وَفِي أَزْرَارِهَا قَمَرٌ

يَسْتَوْقِفُ الْعَيْنَ حَيْرَى فِي مَجَارِيهَا

يَسْتَوْقِفُ الْعَيْنَ حَيْرَى فِي مَجَارِيهَا

She feared the daylight, though within her buttons was a moon

She feared the light, yet beneath her buttons was a moon

that arrested the eye, bewildered along its courses.

That arrested the eye, bewildered in its wanderings.

ثُمَّ انْثَنَتْ وَيَدِي قَيْدٌ لِخَاصِرَةٍ

ثُمَّ انْثَنَتْ وَيَدِي قَيْدٌ لِخَاصِرَةٍ

كَالْخَيْزُرَانَةِ رَيّا فِي تَثَنِّيهَا

كَالْخَيْزُرَانَةِ رَيّا فِي تَثَنِّيهَا

Then she turned away, while my hand was a fetter upon a waist

Then she turned away, my hand a fetter about a waist

like a bamboo cane, full and supple in its bending,

Like a lush bamboo cane in its bending,

فِي بُلْجَةٍ لا تَكَادُ الْعَيْنُ تُنْكِرُهَا

فِي بُلْجَةٍ لا تَكَادُ الْعَيْنُ تُنْكِرُهَا

وَسُمْرَةٍ رُبَّمَا شَفَّتْ نَوَاحِيهَا

وَسُمْرَةٍ رُبَّمَا شَفَّتْ نَوَاحِيهَا

with a fair radiance the eye could scarcely fail to know,

Amid a brightness the eye could scarcely fail to recognize,

and a dusky hue whose edges at times seemed translucent.

And a dusky shade whose edges sometimes grew translucent,

حَتَّى تَجَاوَزْتُ أَحْرَاساً عَلَى شَرَفٍ

حَتَّى تَجَاوَزْتُ أَحْرَاساً عَلَى شَرَفٍ

يَكَادُ يَمْنَعُ هَمَّ النَّفْسِ دَاعِيهَا

يَكَادُ يَمْنَعُ هَمَّ النَّفْسِ دَاعِيهَا

At last I passed guards stationed watchfully on high,

Until I passed guards stationed upon a height,

whose sentry’s cry nearly thwarted the soul’s desire.

Whose call almost checked the soul's desire.

وَحَرَّكَتْ حَلَقَاتِ الْبَابِ فَانْفَتَحَتْ

وَحَرَّكَتْ حَلَقَاتِ الْبَابِ فَانْفَتَحَتْ

عَنْ سَاحَةٍ سَكَنَتْ فِيهَا تَرَاقِيهَا

عَنْ سَاحَةٍ سَكَنَتْ فِيهَا تَرَاقِيهَا

She stirred the rings of the door, and it opened

And she rattled the door's rings, so it opened

upon a courtyard where her collarbones had made their home.

Onto a courtyard where her collarbones came to rest.

فَعُدْتُ وَالْعَيْنُ غَرْقَى فِي مَدَامِعِهَا

فَعُدْتُ وَالْعَيْنُ غَرْقَى فِي مَدَامِعِهَا

وَالْقَلْبُ فِي لَوْعَةٍ تَنْزُو نَوَازِيهَا

وَالْقَلْبُ فِي لَوْعَةٍ تَنْزُو نَوَازِيهَا

Then I returned, my eye drowned in its tears,

So I returned, my eye drowned in its tears,

and my heart in an anguish whose pangs leapt within it.

And my heart in burning anguish, its pangs leaping.

فَيَا لَهَا لَيْلَةً كَانَتْ بِوُصْلَتِهَا

فَيَا لَهَا لَيْلَةً كَانَتْ بِوُصْلَتِهَا

تَارِيخَ لَهْوٍ يَهِيجُ النَّفْسَ رَاوِيهَا

تَارِيخَ لَهْوٍ يَهِيجُ النَّفْسَ رَاوِيهَا

Ah, what a night it was! Through union with her it became

Oh, what a night! Through the union it brought, it became

the chronicle of a revel whose telling stirs the soul.

A chronicle of pleasure whose teller stirs the soul.